Thursday, July 24, 2008

I have decided to start an organization to raise awareness about the benefits of napping:

Naps Are Productive;

or, NAP.

"We're going to take this lying down!"

A coalition dedicated to increasing productivity by promoting and supporting sleep in the middle of the day.

Napping is often associated with laziness, but it only takes the most basic common sense to see that this is faulty logic. A well-rested person obviously has more energy, making him far more capable of achieving a higher level of productivity than his sluggish, listless, worn-out counter-part.

Whereas our anti-napping, American society frowns upon the employee who falls asleep at her desk and relies on a diet of Red Bull and sugar to make it through the afternoon, other cultures have long embraced the simple concept of sleeping to prevent and treat exhaustion! The most well-known example of this is the Spanish and Hispanic Hispanic tradition of the siesta, but afternoon sleep is also common throughout the Philippines, China, Vietnam, India, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Malta, the Middle East, and North Africa. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siesta)

Furthermore, among its many benefits, being well-rested leads to greater creativity, a positive mood, better physical health, sharpened senses, improved ability to learn, a higher tolerance to stress, and increased motivation.

This clear correlation between napping and increased productivity should be recognized and celebrated! Napping needs to be an accepted and even encouraged practice!